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Thursday, July 13th, 2023

Despite $32 Billion State Surplus Texas GOP Lawmakers Fail to Increase School Funding – but Are Working to Cut Taxes

Author:     David Badash
Source:     The New Civil Rights Movement
Publication Date:     July 10, 2023 | 02:52 PM ET
 Link: Despite $32 Billion State Surplus Texas GOP Lawmakers Fail to Increase School Funding – but Are Working to Cut Taxes
Stephan:  

Texas ranks 41st of the 50 states in the U.S. in terms of the quality of its education. Pathetic. So what are the christofascist Republicans who control the state doing about that giving a large surplus. Nothing. Why? Because the Republican Party knows that the more educated a person becomes the more likely they are to vote for Democrats, and what the Republicans want is poorly educated tweebs easily manipulated through culture wars that speak to their fears, hates, and resentments. This sort of thing is going on in Red states across the country.

The Republican majority in the Texas state legislature declined to give schools any additional funding this year, despite the state having a $32 billion surplus, leading one school’s superintendent to grant modest pay raises to teachers even if it causes deficit spending, and a state-installed superintendent to announce cuts of up to 600 jobs. Lawmakers in the Lone Star State are focused on tax cuts.

Texas GOP Governor Greg Abbott has called on lawmakers in special session to cut property taxes and expand the state’s school voucher program, as the Texas Tribune reported last month.

“Lawmakers didn’t approve extra money this year to help schools balance their budgets or pay for raises, despite having an unprecedented $32 billion surplus in their hands — and even after Gov. Greg Abbott commissioned a task force last year to improve teacher pay and retention,” the Tribune added Monday. “The political fight over school vouchers derailed the only school funding bill that had a chance of passing.”

Temple Independent School District Superintendent Bobby Ott told The Texas […]

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